There is the old joke about a mother who went to wake her son for church one Sunday morning. When she knocked on his door, he said, “I’m not going!” “Why not?” asked his mother. “I’ll give you two good reasons,” he said. “One, they don’t like me. Two, I don’t like them.” His mother replied, “I’ll give you two good reasons why YOU WILL go to church. One, you’re 50 years old. Two, you’re the pastor!”

It is a reality that a lot of families today are struggling to go to church, and the desire to sleep in on Sunday morning is certainly only one of the challenges they face. The hour of worship is competing with sports activities for the children and catching up with responsibilities at home and recreation and all sorts of things.

My wife and I have made it our commitment to go to church on Sundays a long time ago, and that’s what we do as a family. My kids know that for as long as they are staying under our roof, church attendance on Sunday is a non-negotiable. Unless there are unusual circumstances, of course. But because it is so easy to fall out of habit when it comes to attending worship, absence on Sundays is the rare exception for us, rather than the norm.

Unlike the person in the opening story, I have to say, I like the people of Faith Church. But that’s not the only reason why I love going to Faith Church.

1. Firstly it reminds me of who is supposed to be most important in my life and what my priorities should be. I feel that when my family and I go to church we’re giving God the first part of our week. When we go to worship, to me it is a way of saying, “God, you are first in my life and I come to express my love and gratitude to you for who you are and for what you have done for me and my family.” I believe that when we honor God and put him first by arranging our schedules around worship, instead of expecting God to somehow fit into our schedules when it seems convenient, everything else will somehow fall into place a lot easier. It’s a matter of priorities and God and his church should be our first priority. “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” Proverbs 3:6 (LB).

2. Secondly, I love going to church with my wife and kids. Even though I don’t sit with them during the service because I’m the pastor, it warms my heart to see them present. It is certainly not always, maybe even never, easy to get my kids up on Sunday mornings to go to church. But I know that when we were in church together that day, it strengthened us and bonded us together. There have been many complaints before the service, but never once after. Somehow we always feel better for having been in church.

3. Thirdly, I love to connect with God during worship and with my church family during the fellowship. God is always present in my life, but he manifests himself in a special way through the Holy Spirit when people come together for corporate worship. There is a special celebration of his love for us and our love for him, which is unique to a worship celebration with the Body of Christ. And the opportunity to connect with him and his body of believers make me feel more grounded and secure and encouraged in his love. There is joy in meeting with other people who believe in the same Savior. People who have been changed by his love and people who experience a special bond with one another because they belong to the same spiritual family. It’s a blessing to catch up with others and feel the connection and have that sense of belonging. We are a family in Christ. And since the rest of my family live in South Africa, my church family means the world to me.

4. Finally I love to play guitar and sing and worship God in song. I love to preach his Word. I love to learn something new about my faith each week. I treasure the opportunity to receive his forgiveness and the chance to bring the needs of the church family before him in prayer. I love it when a new baby is baptized into his family. When someone confesses their faith in our Lord and Savior and joins his church. When children receive their first communion, or make confirmation. When someone shares their testimony of how God has changed his or her life. When we gather around the communion table for the Lord’s Supper. When members marvel at the grace of God at work in our little church. Where else can I experience all of these wonderful things, except when I go to church?

The Word of the Lord says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 (NLT).

If you have for whatever reason fallen out of the habit of going to church. May you be encouraged not to neglect meeting together with your church family. May you realize that the opportunity to worship with your church family is a wonderful gift from the Lord. And may you again make the commitment of being faithful in your attendance.

The church is not perfect, because it is made up of human beings. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind though that my life is better because of Christ’s church, and I love going to church.

Blessings,

Pastor Albert